Robotics & Automation News

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Omron opens new automation center in Tokyo

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Industrial automation giant Omron has opened a new automation center in Shinagawa, Tokyo.

The facility, dubbed an “ATC”, is designed for customers to work with Omron to find solutions to their manufacturing issues.

The 37th ATC facility in the world, ATC-Tokyo is Omron’s flagship factory automation technology center, where model production floors are built within the world’s largest ATC facility to allow customers to experience and test state-of-the-art factory automation that integrates artificial intelligence, internet of things, robotics, and other cutting-edge technologies. [Read more…] about Omron opens new automation center in Tokyo

Columbia develops ‘robotic trunk support assists’ for people with spinal cord injuries

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Engineers at Columbia university have invented a robotic trunk-support-trainer to retrain patients with spinal cord injury to sit more stably and gain an expanded active sitting workspace. (See video below.)

Spinal cord injuries (SCI) can cause devastating damage, including loss of mobility and sensation. Every year, there are an estimated 17,000 new SCIs in the US alone, a rate higher than in most regions of the world.

In addition, the rate of SCIs in people 65 years or older is expected to rise in the US, from 13 percent in 2010 to 16.1 percent by 2020. [Read more…] about Columbia develops ‘robotic trunk support assists’ for people with spinal cord injuries

Bosch and Mercedes-Benz start automated ride-hailing service in San José

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Bosch and Mercedes-Benz’s joint project to develop urban automated driving has now entered a new stage.

Their pilot project for an app-based ride-hailing service using automated Mercedes-Benz S-Class vehicles has now been launched in the Silicon Valley city of San José.

Monitored by a safety driver, the self-driving cars shuttle between West San José and downtown, along the San Carlos Street and Stevens Creek Boulevard thoroughfares. [Read more…] about Bosch and Mercedes-Benz start automated ride-hailing service in San José

Siemens and Qualcomm set up ‘first private standalone 5G network in an industrial environment’

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Siemens and Qualcomm Technologies have implemented what they say is the first private 5G standalone network in a real industrial environment using the 3.7-3.8GHz band.

Siemens is providing the actual industrial test conditions and end devices such as Simatic control systems and IO devices and Qualcomm Technologies is supplying the 5G test network and the relevant test equipment.

The 5G network was installed in Siemens’ Automotive Showroom and Test Center in Nuremberg (main picture). Automated guided vehicles are displayed here which are primarily used in the automotive industry. [Read more…] about Siemens and Qualcomm set up ‘first private standalone 5G network in an industrial environment’

Toyota to offer rides in autonomous cars on public roads

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Toyota Research Institute plans to make its Platform 4 (P4) automated driving test vehicle available for public demonstration rides next summer in Tokyo.

Offered from July to September 2020, the P4 will demonstrate Toyota’s “Chauffeur” SAE Level-4 capabilities in a specific “mobility as a service” driving environment.

The P4 experience will take place in Tokyo’s Odaiba district, a busy and often congested waterfront subcenter. [Read more…] about Toyota to offer rides in autonomous cars on public roads

Autonomous vehicles simulator Applied Intuition raises $40 million in funding

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Applied Intuition, a provider of a simulation platform for autonomous vehicle development, has raised $40 million in Series B financing.

The funding round was led by General Catalyst with participation from Kleiner Perkins, M12 (Microsoft), Sozo Ventures, and La Famiglia.

Previous investors, Andreessen Horowitz, Lux Capital, and Floodgate, also participated in this round. [Read more…] about Autonomous vehicles simulator Applied Intuition raises $40 million in funding

Peachtree Corners opens ‘America’s first’ 5G-powered smart city tech proving ground

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The City of Peachtree Corners, in the state of Georgia, has opened what is claimed to be “America’s first 5G-powered smart city tech proving ground”.

Curiosity Lab at Peachtree Corners, powered exclusively by True Mobile 5G from Sprint, enables companies to prove out emerging technologies in a living environment with smart city infrastructure, next-generation connectivity and real-world conditions.

Sprint says the “groundbreaking” Curiosity IoT dedicated network and advanced operating system is poised to enable a new world of applications. [Read more…] about Peachtree Corners opens ‘America’s first’ 5G-powered smart city tech proving ground

China’s largest food delivery company to test robots

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China’s largest food delivery company is to test robots, according to a report on Abacus News. 

Meituan employs more than 600,000 delivery drivers across China, and deals with more than 25 million orders a day.

The company is predicting growth of 200 per cent by 2025 and is reportedly testing the delivery robots – called “Xiaodai”, meaning “pouch” – in Beijing and Shenzen. [Read more…] about China’s largest food delivery company to test robots

Bosch and Daimler to pilot automated driving in California

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Bosch and Daimler have chosen in a city located in the San Francisco Bay in Silicon Valley, California, as the pilot location for a first test fleet developing fully-automated and driverless driving.

Bosch and Daimler will offer customers a shuttle service with automated vehicles on selected routes. Daimler Mobility Services is envisaged as the operator of this test fleet and the app-based mobility service.

The pilot project will demonstrate how mobility services such as car sharing (car2go), ride-hailing (mytaxi) and multi-modal platforms (moovel) can be intelligently connected to shape the future of mobility.

[Read more…] about Bosch and Daimler to pilot automated driving in California

Groupe PSA tests test vehicle-to-infrastructure communications in Spain

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For the first time in an urban environment, The Automotive Technology Centre of Galicia and Groupe PSA are testing the contribution that communication technologies can make to the development of automated vehicle functions.

The aim is to see how well vehicles can communicate with the surrounding infrastructure in a complex urban environment.

The tests carried out in Vigo related to: an automated valet parking system; autonomous driving in an urban environment; optimal speed regulation when approaching a traffic light; and protection of vulnerable users.

[Read more…] about Groupe PSA tests test vehicle-to-infrastructure communications in Spain